


No Second Chances?

by SamuelJames



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, Other, Past Domestic Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-10
Updated: 2010-08-10
Packaged: 2017-10-12 16:13:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/126718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamuelJames/pseuds/SamuelJames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jackson's thoughts after the court case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Second Chances?

**Author's Note:**

> Title: No Second Chances?  
> Character: Jackson Walsh  
> Rating: PG-13  
> Summary: Jackson's thoughts after the court case.  
> Disclaimer: Emmerdale belongs to its creators. No copyright infringement is intended.  
> Warning: Refers to past domestic abuse.  
> Archiving Information: Please do not archive elsewhere on the net.

Jackson shouldn't care but he can't help wondering if Aaron's okay. In court Aaron had gone from thug to tormented soul. He'd sounded so hesitant and scared as he came out. Jackson thinks about that night in the pub and how shocked he'd been when Aaron snapped. He was better off keeping well away from someone with such a short temper. He was the victim here, something he was not comfortable with. He'd seen first hand the damage a quick temper could do, having to intervene when his Dad went after his mum too many times.

He thought he was strong enough to stop him but Jackson had ended up with a broken arm. He'd been so scared that night but his mum had taken him to the neighbours and asked for a lift to the hospital. At only age thirteen he'd already seen the bruises, heard the fights and heard his father's apologies countless times. She'd always forgiven him but his attack on Jackson made her walk away. It hadn't been easy trying to make ends meet but living on whatever was on sale in the supermarket in any given week was a small price to pay for freedom. His arm had healed and he got a paper round which helped out a little. In retrospect his few quid wouldn't have done much but his mum was always grateful.

He never thought he'd be attracted to someone like his dad who could smile sweetly before letting his fists fly. Typical that the first guy he'd shown an interest in since the breakup with Sam would turn out to be a psycho. Whatever Aaron's reasons it didn't excuse what he did. Jackson hadn't told his mates about going to court, they'd think he was crazy. Maybe Aaron really had been terrified about his secret being revealed. It certainly couldn't have been easy to tell the judge and his family like that and those tears seemed real.

Still Jackson's brain prompted, lots of people deal with being gay without attacking anybody. He wishes he could stop thinking about Aaron, just get him out of his head but there's that part of him that thinks he might be better now. Maybe it was genuinely a one-off thing. He used to think his mum so gullible yet even as he's remembering exactly how awful things used to be he brings up Aaron's number on his phone.

His thumb hovers over the call button. Is Aaron really worth it? Next time it could be another excuse. Instead of calling him Jackson goes into the options screen and deletes Aaron's number. He's in Jackson's thoughts for the next while especially after seeing the article in the paper but Jackson assures himself he did the right thing.

Jackson should be over Aaron, so brief was their time together, but then he shows up in Bar West seemingly contrite. Aaron might actually mean it but Jackson knows that apologies are no indicators of future behaviour. He talks to his mates about it and they're sure that he's better off without Aaron. If that's true why can't he get Aaron out of his head? He thinks about him, worries about him and even fantasises about him. Fantasy Aaron is a lot more pleasant.

He half regrets rejecting the apology but he'll get over it. In fact he's starting to get over it, over him, till he gets a call about some building work in Emmerdale village. It's highly likely he'll see Aaron since the village is tiny. The sensible thing would be to recommend one of his mates instead but he could use the money and if Aaron should try another apology well maybe he'd be inclined to listen this time.


End file.
